Easy Phrasal Verbs

Contents Foreword Acknowledgements What Are Phrasal Verbs? 1. Look at (1) 2. Look at (2) 3. Look at (3) 4. Look at (4) 5. Look at (5) 6. Set up (1) 7. Set up (2) 8. Set up (3) 9. Go on (1) 10. Go on (2) 11. Go on (3) 12. Come on (1) 13. Come on (2) 14. Come on (3) 15. Find out (1) 16. Come from (1) 17. Come from (2) 18. Come from (3) 19. Come from (4) 20. Come from (5) 21. Come from (6) 22. Come in (1) 23. Come in (2) 24. Come in (3)

25. Come in (4) 26. Come in (5) Review Quiz 1 27. Talk to (1) 28. Talk to (2) 29. Come back (1) 30. Come back (2) 31. Come back (3) 32. Come back (4) 33. Come back (5) 34. Get to (1) 35. Get to (2) 36. Get to (3) 37. Get to (4) 38. Get to (4) 39. Go back (1) 40. Go back (2) 41. Think about (1) 42. Think about 2) 43. Think about (3) 44. Think about (4) 45. Think about (5) 46. Go out (1) 47. Go out (2) 48. Go out (3) 49. Go out (4) 50. Go out (5) Review Quiz 2 Answers to Exercises Phrasal Verb Selection

Foreword Welcome To This Book! My name is Dan Shepherd and I was an English teacher in Japan from 1995 to 2009, where I ran a language school and taught students of all ages and from a wide variety of backgrounds. During my time in Japan, I realized that learners of English often find phrasal verbs difficult to use. When I looked for a good textbook to help my students, I found reference books on phrasal verbs, but I couldn’t find any books showing how to use phrasal verbs in everyday conversation. I decided that one day I would write a book about phrasal verbs. This is that book. It is not a reference book — there are many excellent ones already. Its goal is to give examples of phrasal verbs in conversation so that you can learn how to use them in daily life. This book is the result of many years of experience and research. I have written over 450 original conversations based on 50 carefully selected meanings of common phrasal verbs. There are also over 200 exercise questions for you to test your understanding. I hope that you will find this book useful and, after reading it and doing the exercises, that you will feel more confident about using phrasal verbs. Happy reading. Dan Shepherd

Acknowledgements I would like to thank Mark Wagland and Robin Pinkney for their invaluable assistance with proofreading and editing this book. Mark and Robin are both highly qualified English teachers who work at Westminster Kingsway College in London and their suggestions and feedback on the content of the book was both insightful and helpful. I would also like to thank my partner, Ben Indra, for his kind support and encouragement.

What Are Phrasal Verbs? A phrasal verb is a combination of a verb like come, go, get, take, put, and look and a particle like to, in, out, from, back, and about. Adding the particle changes the original meaning of the verb. For example: get = obtain I have to get some milk from the supermarket. get + to = arrive We will get to London at 09:35. go = travel I go to my office every morning. go + out = have a romantic I like to go out with relationship handsome guys. Phrasal verbs are a very important part of English. Native English speakers often use phrasal verbs because they are short and efficient, so learning phrasal verbs can help you to understand what native speakers are saying. Most phrasal verbs are used in spoken and written English and can be used in both informal and formal situations, such as at work.

Transitive or Intransitive Some phrasal verbs are transitive. This means the verb has an object. For example: I come from Rome. In the example, “Rome” is the object of the transitive phrasal verb, “come from”. Some phrasal verbs are intransitive. This means the verb does not have an object. For example: The taxi broke down on the way to the airport. This happened to the taxi naturally, without anyone’s action. There is no object. In this example, “broke down” is an intransitive phrasal verb.

Separable or Nonseparable Phrasal verbs are either separable or nonseparable. Unfortunately, there is no rule that will tell you if a phrasal verb is separable or nonseparable simply by looking at it. To help you, the phrasal verbs contained in this book are labelled, “separable” or “nonseparable”.

Nonseparable Phrasal Verbs In nonseparable phrasal verbs, you cannot separate the verb and the particle. This sentence is correct: Subject Verb Particle Object (Noun) They come from Germany Particle This sentence is wrong: Subject Verb Object (Noun) They come Germany from

Separable Phrasal Verbs In separable phrasal verbs, you can separate the verb and the particle. Subject Verb Particle Object (Noun) He gave back the book Verb Object Particle (Noun) Subject He gave the book back Here “gave” and “back” are separated by the object, “the book”. Both sentences are correct. If, however, the object is a pronoun like, me, you, her, him, it, us, them, the pronoun must be placed between the verb and the particle. This sentence is correct: Subject Verb Object Particle (Noun) She gave it back Object (Noun) This sentence is wrong: Subject Verb Particle She gave back it



Finally, if a separable phrasal verb has two objects, you have to separate the verb. This sentence is correct: Subject Verb Object 1 Particle Object 2 He put a on the table tablecloth Object 2 This sentence is wrong: Subject Verb Particle Object 1 He put on a the tablecloth table Please go to my website for recommendations of good reference books about phrasal verbs and English grammar. www.phrasalverbsexamples.com

1. Look at (1) To move your eyes to see someone or something Present Continuous Past Present perfect look/looks at be looking at looked at have/has looked at

Nonseparable Verbs of similar meaning: view; glance at

1.1 look at (present tense) 1.1.1 Two friends are in the cafeteria at college. A: Look at that. Today’s special is beef stew. B: Where does it say that? A: Look at the menu in front of the counter. B: Oh yeah. Hmmm… I think I’ll have the stew in that case. 1.1.2 Jenn and her friend are sitting on a bench in the shopping mall. While they are talking, Jenn sees a very cute guy walking past. Jenn: Hey, isn’t that the guy you met at the party last night? Friend: Oh my God! Yes, it is…. Don’t look at him! Jenn: Why not? I thought you liked him. Friend: No, no. I talked with him at the party, but he was really weird so I spent all evening avoiding him. Don’t look at him. He’ll see us and come over. Jenn: Ok, ok.

1.2 be looking at (present continuous) 1.2.1 James and Claire are sitting outside a cafe. The street is very busy and many people are walking past. James: What are you looking at? Claire: There’s a man dancing in the street. James: Where? Claire: In front of the bank. James: I don’t see him. Claire: You’re looking at the wrong bank. He’s on the other side of the street. James: Oh yeah. He’s seems to be enjoying himself! 1.2.2 Susan is trying to find her keys. She asks her partner where the keys are. Susan: Honey, have you seen my keys? Partner: Aren’t they on the kitchen table? Susan: I can’t see them. Partner: Are you sure? Susan: I’m looking at the table. They’re not there. Partner: How about on top of the TV? Susan: Found them! Partner: Where were they? Susan: On the kitchen table, under a pile of letters.

1.3 be looking at (past continuous) 1.3.1 Paul is telling Donald about a magic show that he went to see. Paul: That magic show yesterday was awesome! Donald: Really? What did the magician do? Paul: Well, he did a lot of card tricks, but my favorite trick was when he made a rabbit disappear. Donald: It’s all just an illusion. Paul: I know, but I was looking at the rabbit and the magician’s hands the whole time and it just disappeared! I couldn’t see how he did it. Donald: Maybe you didn’t look closely enough.

1.4 looked at (past tense) 1.4.1 Sarah and her friend David are sitting in the park eating their lunch. Sarah: Did you see the squirrel? David: What squirrel? Where? Sarah: It was right there in front of the tree. David: It’s not there now. Sarah: No. I looked at it and when it saw me, it ran up the tree. David: Maybe it’ll come back down.

Exercises Fill in the blanks in the following conversations: 1. A: Hey, ______ that guy over there. B: Which one? A: The one wearing the funny hat. 2. A: What are you ______ ? B: Hmmm? A: You’re obviously ______ something interesting. B: Oh… No. I’m just thinking about what I’d like to eat for lunch. 3. A: Wow. What happened to your eye? B: I got into a fight with some guy. A: Why? B: I don’t know. I just ______ him and he suddenly got really mad, came over and punched me! A: Where were you? B: In a club. A: Sounds like he was drunk. 4. A: Hi, is that IT support?

B: Yes, how can I help? A: My computer won’t switch on. B: Sometimes, the computers here take a long time to boot up. A: I know, but I’ve been ______ a blank screen for five minutes and nothing is happening. B: Ok. We’ll send someone to fix it. A: Thanks. 5. A: Hi. What happened to your hair? B: I know. Don’t _______ me. It’s a disaster. A: Bad haircut? B: I told the stylist to cut it short, but not this short! A: Oh no. Poor you.

2. Look at (2) To read something quickly (so you can give an opinion on it) Present Continuous Past Present perfect look/looks be looking at looked at have/has at looked at

Nonseparable Verbs of similar meaning: read; study; inspect

2.1 look at (present tense) 2.1.1 Linda is asking Joan to check her essay before she submits it to her teacher. Linda: Joan, could you look at my essay? Joan: Is it the essay that we have to hand in tomorrow? Linda: Yeah. I’m not sure if I’ve understood the topic. Joan: Sure. But, can you look at mine, too? Let’s swap. Linda: Sure. No problem. 2.1.2 Michael is writing a report for his boss, Michelle. Michelle sees Michael writing the report and comes over to his desk. Michelle: Hi Michael. Is that the report I asked you to send to John? Michael: Yes, it is. Michelle: Could I look at it before you send it please? Michael: Sure. I’ll email it to you by lunch. Michelle: Great. Thanks.

2.2 be looking at (present continuous) 2.2.1 Deborah sent Tim an article yesterday to read for his English class. Deborah: Hey Tim. How’s it going? Tim: Good thanks. Deborah: Was that article helpful? Tim: Actually, I’m looking at it right now. It’s really interesting. Deborah: Glad it was useful. Tim: Thanks.

2.3 looked at (past) 2.3.1 Andrew is sitting with his friend, Raymond, in the cafeteria at school. Andrew: Have you seen the reading list for history class? It’s insane. Raymond: Yeah, I looked at it yesterday. Looks ok to me. Andrew: Are you serious? It’s going to take me forever to read all that. Raymond: You’d better get started then!

2.4 be looking at (past continuous) 2.4.1 Amanda and Courtney are talking about what they did last night. Mrs. Smith is their English teacher. Amanda: How was your evening? Courtney: Not bad. Jamie came over and we watched a movie on TV. Amanda: Sounds nice. Did you finish that reading homework? Courtney: Oh no! I completely forgot. Amanda: Oh. Courtney: I was looking at it after dinner and then Jamie called me. I completely forgot about it. Amanda: Mrs. Smith won’t be happy. Courtney: No, she won’t.

2.5 be going to look at (future plan) 2.5.1 Edward is speaking with his English teacher, Mr. Khan. Edward: Hi, Mr. Khan. Have you had time to look at my essay? Mr. Khan: Not yet. I’m going to look at it tonight. Edward: Thanks.

2.6 will look at (offer of future help) 2.6.1 Three students are discussing an art project they are working on together. A: So, we need to make a big poster for the project. Who’s going to think of some designs? B: I’ll do that. A: Thanks. What else do we have to do for the project? B: I don’t remember what the teacher said. There was a list of things. A: I think the list is available online. C: Ok. I’ll look at it tonight. Let’s meet up again tomorrow. A: Sure. Sounds good. B: Sure.

2.7 have looked at (present perfect) 2.7.1 Scott is Nancy’s boss. He is asking her about an email that he sent to her yesterday. Scott: Hi Nancy. Have you looked at the email I sent you? Nancy: No, I’m sorry. I haven’t looked at it yet. Scott: No problem. Can you look at it this afternoon, please? I need the info for a meeting tomorrow. Nancy: Ok. I’ll look at it now.

2.8 looking at (gerund form) 2.8.1 Mustafa is helping his friend, Noah, by checking his essay for him. Noah: Hi Mustafa. I finished looking at your essay. Mustafa: Great. How was it? Noah: I liked it. There were a few grammatical mistakes, but not many. Mustafa: Thanks for looking at it. Noah: You’re welcome. Mustafa: Let’s go grab a coffee. My treat. Noah: Thanks.

Exercises Fill in the blanks in the following conversations: 1. A: I’m not very happy with my essay. I don’t think it’s very good. B: Why not? A: My English grammar isn’t good. B: Do you want me to _______ it for you? A: That would be a great help. Thank you. B: No problem. A: Tomorrow lunch is on me! B: Great. Thanks. 2. A: Hey, what’s this? B: It’s the electricity bill, I think. A: How much was it this month? B: Don’t know. Haven’t _______ it yet. 3. A: Have you read that email from the manager? B: No, not yet. I’ll _______ it later. I’m busy right now. A: Make sure you _______ it . She’s not very happy with us. B: Really? Ok. I’ll _______ it right after this. 4. A: Why didn’t you read the homework article?

B: I’m sorry. I was ______ it last night, but I suddenly started to feel sick so I went to bed early. A: Ok. No problem. Are you feeling better? B: Yes, thanks. 5. A: Have you had time to ______ my essay yet? B: Yes, but I haven’t finished yet. Can you wait until tomorrow? A: Sure. No problem. Thanks for _______ it. B: You’re welcome.

3. Look at (3) Examine something (and decide what to do) Present Continuous Past Present perfect look/looks be looking at looked at have/has at looked at

Nonseparable Verbs of similar meaning: analyze; ascertain; scrutinize

3.1 look at (present tense) 3.1.1 Karim has a rash on his arm. His friend Ethan is worried. Ethan: How long have you had that rash? Karim: A few days. It’s really itchy. Ethan: Did you eat anything strange? Karim: I’m not sure. Maybe. Ethan: You should let the doctor look at that. Karim: I’ll go tomorrow. 3.1.2 Ben, Samuel and Luis share a house. The hot water has stopped working. Ben: Shall I call the landlord about the hot water? Luis: Yeah. Please do. He has to fix it. Samuel: He needs to send a plumber to look at it. Ben: Ok. I’ll call him.

3.2 be looking at (present continuous) 3.2.1 Sophia is talking to her lab partner Gabrielle. Gabrielle is examining something through a microscope. Sophia: What are you looking at Gabrielle? Gabrielle: I’m looking at our bacteria samples from yesterday. Sophia: How do they look? Gabrielle: The bacteria are growing well. It’s a success. Sophia. Great.

3.3 looked at (simple past) 3.3.1 Olivia is Emma’s boss. She is asking Emma about some sales data. Olivia: Did you have time to look at the sales data? Emma: I looked at it yesterday. I’m just writing a report on it. Olivia: Great. How are we doing? Emma: Sales are up, so that’s good news. Olivia: Glad to hear it! 3.3.2 Wei went to the doctor yesterday. He’s talking with his friend Hiroto about what happened. Hiroto: What happened to your arm Wei? Wei: I fell over when I was playing soccer and hurt it. Hiroto: Ouch. That must have hurt! Wei: Yeah. I had to go to the hospital. The doctor looked at it and then sent me for an x-ray. Hiroto: Is it broken? Wei: Luckily, no. It’s just a bad sprain. Hiroto: At least it’s not broken. Wei: Yeah.

3.4 be looking at (past continuous) 3.4.1 Mohammad is talking with his friend Arav about his broken computer. Arav: Why does your computer have a cracked screen? Mohammad: Good question. I went to the computer repair store to have the keyboard repaired and the repair guy dropped it on the floor! Arav: No way! That sucks. How did he do that? Mohammad: I don’t know. Just clumsy. He was looking at the keyboard and he turned it upside down. That’s when it slipped out of his hands. Arav: Are they going to pay for the damage. Mohammad: Yeah. They are going to fix everything for free. Arav: So they should. 3.4.2 Jie is speaking to Ali who works for IT support at his company. Jie: Hi, is that IT support? Ali: Yes. How can I help? Jie: My computer won’t log on. Ali: Ok. The network might be down again. The technician was looking at it yesterday. I thought he’d fixed it. I’ll check what’s happened and call you back. Jie: Thanks.

3.5 be going to look at (future plan) 3.5.1 Liang and Justin share a dorm room at college. The light in their room is broken. Liang has asked the college the fix the light. Justin: Is the light still broken? Liang: Yep. But the guy is going to look at it tomorrow while we’re out. Justin: Good. Otherwise, we’ll have to study by candlelight! Liang: Yeah.

3.6 will look at (offer of future help) 3.6.1 Seo-yeon downloaded something on her computer and now it won’t work properly. She asks her friend, Fatima, to help. Seo-yeon: Fatima, are you busy now? Fatima: A little. I’m in the middle of writing an essay. Why? Seo-yeon: I downloaded a program from the internet and now my computer won’t work. Fatima: Ok. I’ll look at it tonight. I’ve really got to finish this essay first. Seo-yeon: Thank you! You’re a lifesaver. Fatima: No problem.

3.7 have looked at (present perfect) 3.7.1 Jane fell down while she was walking on the street and hurt her arm. Jane is talking to her doctor. Jane: Is it bad doctor? Doctor: Well, I’ve looked at your x-ray and there doesn’t seem to be any major damage. Jane: That’s a relief. Doctor: It looks like a bad sprain. You’ll be ok in six to eight weeks. Jane: Thanks, doctor. Doctor: You’re welcome. 3.7.2 Kevin is Tom’s boss. Yesterday Kevin sent Tom a report about some problems the company is experiencing. Kevin: Hi Tom. Have you looked at that report I sent you yesterday? Any ideas for how we’re going to solve the problem? Tom: I have. I’ve written down some ideas. Shall I email them to you or would you like to have a meeting? Kevin: Let’s sit down together after lunch and look at them. Tom: Sure.

3.8 be looked at (passive) 3.7.1 John applied for a new job at a bank. He hasn’t heard anything from the bank so he decides to call them and ask why. Bank: Hello. Western Credit Bank. How can I help? John: Hi. My name is John Robertson. I applied for a role with the bank a few weeks ago but I haven’t heard anything back. I just wondered whether my application was being considered. Bank: Let me check for you, sir…. Yes, your application was looked at but, unfortunately, you weren’t successful this time. John: Oh, I see. Thank you for your time. Bank: No problem, sir. Thank you for calling.

Exercises Fill in the blanks in the following conversations: 1. A: Is the computer network down again? B: Yeah. They’re ______ it this afternoon. A: Why can’t they fix it now? B: Apparently they’re too busy. 2. A: What’s wrong with your eye? It’s all red. B: I don’t know. It’s been itchy for a few days now. A: You should ask the doctor to ______ it . B: I think I will. 3. A: What’s in this sample? B: I’m not sure. Let’s ______ it under the microscope. A: Here you go. B: Thanks. It seems to be some kind of plant cell. 4. A: Have you had time to ______ that report? B: No, sorry. I haven’t ______ it yet. A: Will you have time this afternoon.

B: Yes, I think so. 5. A: We’ve ______ your x-rays and you have a broken wrist. B: Oh no. Will it take a long time to heal? A: It could take up to three months. B: Oh no.

4. Look at (4) To think about a situation or subject carefully (especially to make a decision) Present Continuous Past Present perfect look/looks be looking at looked at have/has at looked at

Nonseparable Verbs of similar meaning: consider; contemplate; deliberate

4.1 look at (present tense) 4.1.1 Yuuma, Adam, Shu-fen and Mariko are trying to decide where to go on vacation. Yuuma: We could go to the Grand Canyon. Adam: Sounds boring. I’m not keen on nature. Shu-fen: Really? I like the sound of the Grand Canyon. Mariko: I’d prefer to go to a city. Adam: Me, too. Shu-fen: Ok. There are a lot of cities to choose from. Let’s check on the internet and look at the options.

4.2 have to/must look at (imperative) 4.2.1 Marc is speaking with his boss Yusif. Marc made a big mistake at work and he is talking about this with Yusif. Marc: I really made a big mistake this time. Yusif: Don’t worry. We all make mistakes. What’s important is to learn from them. Marc: Yes. Sorry. Yusif: You have to look at the situation very carefully before making any decisions next time. Marc: I will.

4.3 will look at (future intention) 4.3.1 Lucas has some good ideas to start a new company. He is speaking with an investor about them. Lucas: So what do you think? Investor: Well, I like your ideas. I’ll look at them carefully with my colleagues and get back to you soon. Lucas: Thanks. Investor: No. Thank you.